This page shows the results for the questions of interest split by the source of the puppy. The results have been filtered to only consider the four main sources, which account for 3621 of the 4002 survey responses: breeder, pet store, shelter/rescue, and non-breeder person. All other source options (found/stray, offspring, flea market/swap, other) had too few values to robustly dissect them further (~100 total responses), and showing only these four helps highlight the main results. I’m happy to make versions with all answers for any specific questions.
Colors are used to help compare the same values across source groups where the total number of response options is 5 or lower.
Likert-scale questions (Q25, Q28) are presented one at a time to allow comparison between source groups, instead of in one big figure like in the overall analysis, but using its own color scale for clarity.
Questions with many answers like State show the top 10 values per source group, and ZIP code was not presented at all because the variation would be too large.
A few questions with notable differences or interesting absence of clear differences between source groups (qualitatively speaking, and a non-exhaustive list): Q12-14, Q18 (might have actually expected more of a difference?), Q24, Q25-28, Q35-36 (minor differences between breeder, shelter, and pet store, and shelters being the largest first choice for people buying from breeder/individual), Q94-97 (roughly similar outcomes).
S3: How old was your puppy when first brought home?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
S5: What is your age, in years?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q3: What is your puppy’s expected size when fully grown?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
What information do you have on your puppy’s breed?
Q4: What best describes your puppy’s breed(s)?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q12: Is your puppy sterilized (spayed or neutered)?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q13: Was your puppy sterilized before you brought them home?
1942 non-empty/NA responses out of 1942 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q14: Do you plan to breed your puppy in the future?
1636 non-empty/NA responses out of 1679 possible responses ( 97
%)
Q17: Before this puppy, were you ever a primary caretaker for a dog as an adult (when you were age 18 or older)?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Group A Only
Q18: How much time did you spend searching for a puppy?
1807 non-empty/NA responses out of 1807 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q24: How closely did the puppy you got match what you were searching for?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r1: I wanted a puppy from a specific source (e.g., shelter, breeder, etc.) - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r2: I wanted a puppy that was a specific age - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r3: I wanted a puppy that would grow to a certain size (e.g., tiny, small, medium, large) - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r4: I wanted a particular breed or breed type - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r5: I wanted to have an emotional connection to my puppy - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r6: I wanted a puppy from a source that I trust - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r7: I wanted a puppy that was hypoallergenic - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q25r8: I wanted a puppy with a particular fur color (e.g., black, white, golden, brown, mixed, etc.) - How important were each of the following in choosing your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r1: Convenience - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r2: The degree to which the puppy was already socialized - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r3: Getting a puppy that is homeless or in need of a home - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r4: Ability to bring puppy home quickly - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r5: Ability to meet the mother dog - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r6: Potential to breed the dog - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r7: Recommendation from trusted source - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q28r8: Good communication and support - How important were the following things in deciding where you got your puppy?
1738 non-empty/NA responses out of 1738 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q29: How much did you pay for your puppy?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q31: Were you willing to pay more for a puppy than what you actually paid?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q35: Was this your first choice for where to get your puppy?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q36: What was your first choice for where to get your puppy?
613 non-empty/NA responses out of 613 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q37: How likely are you to recommend the place where you got your puppy to a friend?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q38: If you had not been able to get your puppy, what would you have most likely done?
3587 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 99
%)
Q90: When you got your puppy, was there a policy for if you can no longer keep them?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q92: Did your puppy come with a health guarantee?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Group B Only
Q94: Overall, how satisfied are you with your new puppy?
1814 non-empty/NA responses out of 1814 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q95: How would you describe your puppy’s overall health?
1814 non-empty/NA responses out of 1814 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q97: How would you describe your puppy’s overall behavior?
1814 non-empty/NA responses out of 1814 possible responses ( 100
%)
Have you had challenges or concerns about any of the following?
Which of the following are or were causing to you consider rehoming your dog?
Q102a: Which state do you live in?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q103: What is your gender?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q104: What is the highest level of school you completed?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q105: What is your total annual household income?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q106: Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q107: How would you describe yourself?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)
Q108: Do you own or rent your home?
3621 non-empty/NA responses out of 3621 possible responses ( 100
%)